ARCTIC IDYLL.A small summer house north of the Arctic Circle, in Skarsfjord, is constructed with urban finesse and refinement to make a platform for contemplating the wonders of otherwise untouched wild nature of the north. Skarsfjord is about fifty miles from Tromso inside the Arctic Circle. A haven of small islands and bars of land looking out towards the sea, the place is a paradise for birdwatchers This is a list of the world's greatest birdwatchers, based on the number of species of birds seen. Depending on the taxonomic viewpoint, there are about 8,800–10,200 living bird species. harbouring geese, eider Eider, river, Germany Eider (ī`dər), river, 117 mi (188 km) long, rising S of Kiel, N Germany, and flowing N to the Kiel Canal before turning west and meandering to the North Sea at Tönning. duck, grouse and eagle. In the fjord's cold waters are cod and wolf-fish and the inland hills are pitted with a row of small trout lakes. In summer, the mountain slopes are lush with heather, birch forest and the occasional aspen; in season, there are wild cloudberries and blueberries, and in the forests are found chanterelles and other wild fungi. Settled into this landscape beneath a craggy crag·gy adj. crag·gi·er, crag·gi·est 1. Having crags: craggy terrain. 2. Rugged and uneven: a craggy face. snow-capped Snow´-capped` a. 1. Having the top capped or covered with snow; as, snow-capped mountains s>. Adj. 1. mountain, the holiday house by Gisle Lokken looks south and westwards towards the sea and evening sun. At about 40m above sea level, and 300m from the shore, the building is open to all the surrounding natural elements. In spite of the rigours of the climate and northerly latitude, the structure appears fragile and weightless, a floating skeletal construction of sheer glass walls and wood -- oiled larch larch, any tree of the genus Larix, conifers of the family Pinaceae (pine family), which are unusual in that they are not evergreen. The various species are widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. panelling and birch plywood outside, varnished beech veneer inside. On plan, the building is an indented in·dent 1 v. in·dent·ed, in·dent·ing, in·dents v.tr. 1. To set (the first line of a paragraph, for example) in from the margin. 2. a. rectangle lined with terraces along the south, and with a large airy living room on the west, sleeping quarters and storage on the east. Entrance to the house is through an enclosed porch forming the eastern end. This doubles as a sauna from which to watch the sky and Northern Lights. The western end which, because of the slope of the site, was able to be cantilevered over the landscape is effectively a glass box with views in all directions. Half of the sheltered south wall can be slid open to admit the smaller scale of heather, birch and rocks. Lokken has suppressed details that might distract from purity and lightness. All glass framing is let into the structure and there are no architraves or skirtings. Furnishings, such as the plainly designed stove, slatted reclining chairs and Aalto stools, are in keeping with the spare skeletal structure as are floors of wooden decking or the dense black linoleum linoleum (lĭnō`lēəm), resilient floor or wall covering made of burlap, canvas, or felt, surfaced with a composition of wood flour, oxidized linseed oil, gums or other ingredients, and coloring matter. set against the warmth of beech veneer. V. G. Architect Glsle Lekken, 70[degrees]N arkitektur, Tromso Photographs Espen Gronll |
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